Lifestyle

Conquering drowsiness before it overwhelms your mind can be quite a challenge without the help of caffeine, taurine and drugs.  With the prevalence of energy drinks and coffee shops conveniently located all around us, finding an unnatural, unhealthy energy boost is easy.  You’ll certainly be wide awake and wired, but your health will pay the price too.

So the question is:  What are some healthy, natural ways to boost your energy and stay awake and alert when you must.  Let’s take a look at 50 possibilities:

1. Turn on all the lights. – Darkness promotes fatigue and laziness.  Turn on every light in the room.
2. Go outdoors. – Getting some fresh air outdoors is always a good way to rouse your senses.
3. Pull down on your earlobes. – This may sound strange, but pulling down on your earlobes can help you stay awake and alert when you’re feeling drowsy.
4. Rub the roof of your mouth with your tongue. – Rub your tongue against the top front area of your mouth cavity.  It feels a little weird, but it does give you a quick nerve jolt that’s bound to make you a bit more alert.
5. Call a close friend. – Sometimes a quick conversation with someone you care about is just what you need to boost your mood.
6. Eat nutritious low carb snacks. – Low carb fruits such as raspberries, apples, oranges, and grapefruits are great energy boosters.  Heaping scoops of spicy salsa on a few small crackers is another goodie.  Stay away from meats, breads and dairy products.
7. Listen to some fast beat music. – If it’s not too much of a distraction, listening to fast beat music can be a great way to keep your mind awake.
8. Roll up and down on your toes. – This stimulates your circulatory system, which will deliver much-needed oxygen and fuel (glucose) throughout your body.
9. Watch or read something that inspires you. – Sometimes all you need is a little pep talk.  Watch a motivational video or read something that inspires you.
10. Have a good laugh. – Watch a funny video clip or read your favorite comic strip.  A good chuckle will stimulate your mind, giving you a renewed level on energy.
11. Crank up the AC. – Warm, stuffy environments accelerate mental fatigue.  If you need to stay awake and energized in a lecture hall or meeting room find an open seat under an AC vent.
12. Apply pressure to the top of the back of your neck. – Use your fingertips to apply pressure and lightly massage the top part of the back of your neck for a few minutes.
13. Tap the top of your head. – Lightly tap the top of your head with your fingertips.  Do this continuously for a few minutes.
14. Chew sugar-free peppermint gum. – It won’t rot your teeth and that minty taste will make you feel fresh.  Strong peppermint flavors seem to work best for me.
15. Take light exercise breaks every two hours. – Take a break and take a walk or do a couple jumping jacks to get your blood moving.  Even the slightest bit of exercise can act as a healthy way to energize your mind and body.
16. Write and plan. – The idea is to keep your mind busy.  If you are attending a lecture or business meeting, write down everything that is said.  If you are simply trying to stay awake or re-energize, create a detailed to-do list for the week or plan out your perfect weekend getaway.
17. Get yourself some cold water. – Splash some on your face and the pulse area of your wrists.  Also, drinking an ice-cold glass of water can help to wake you up and feel alive.
18. Stay organized. – Avoid losing energy by keeping everything in its place.
19. Take a few really deep, controlled breaths. – Deep breathing helps reduce stress, a source of fatigue, and increases the level of oxygen in the blood.  Techniques can be as simple as inhaling for five seconds, holding your breath for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds.  You can also try more elaborate techniques which require different positions
20. Exercise regularly in the morning. – Ease into exercise, and then keep it up.  You should aim to be active for at least 30 minutes each day.  Those 30 minutes of exercise will make you feel energized for hours to come.  I’ve found exercise most effective on my energy levels when I exercise in the morning.  Exercise in the morning gets the endorphins flowing, which keeps you happy and productive most of the day.
21. Eat at least three meals a day. – Give yourself lasting energy by eating on a regular schedule.
22. Spend your energy wisely. – Recognized when your energetic moments are, and use this time productively.  Often if you get the ball rolling, you won’t stop.
23. Practice altruism. – By doing good work and good deeds for others you’ll help your energy with enhanced happiness, satisfaction and health.
24. Avoid late night television or aimless web browsing. – Get a little more sleep instead.  Nuff said.
25. Stretch. – When you feel yourself getting fatigued, get up, reach towards the sky, bend down and touch your toes, twist your torso from side to side… stretch it out.  Also, certain yoga exercises, including the warrior poses, have been known to reduce fatigue and increase energy levels.
26. Take a 15 minute cat nap. – A short afternoon nap can be refreshing, and won’t interfere with regular sleep patterns if you do it early enough.
27. Decrease sugar consumption. – Sugar will cause fluctuations in energy that can leave you feeling burnt out.
28. Eat smaller meals more often. – By eating smaller, more frequent meals, you’ll avoid the groggy feeling that comes with digesting large meals.
29. Eat whole grains and energy foods. – Whole grains have complex carbohydrates that take a while to break down, providing you with energy that lasts.  Some of the best high energy foods include sunflower seeds, beans, fruit or fruit juices, eggs, yogurt, nuts and vegetables.
30. Choose lean protein. – Foods with lean protein help you feel fuller for longer.  They also prevent blood sugar spikes, giving you more steady energy.  Lean protein foods include fish and other seafood, lean pork, or chicken breasts (white meat).
31. Cut down on coffee and energy drinks. – Although coffee can give you a rush of energy, in the end it will cause fatigue.  Coffee does not have to be eliminated, but you probably shouldn’t drink more than one cup a day.
32. Consume the proper vitamins. – Make sure you get the proper amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C, vitamin D, selenium, riboflavin, niacin and the B-vitamins such as pantothenic acid, folic acid, thiamine and vitamin B12.
33. Use aromatherapy and incense. – Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to stimulate the brain through the nerves in the nasal passages.  Oils can be added to bathwater, massage oil, a steam bath or vaporizer for inhalation.  Essential oils that can help you stay alert and reduce fatigue include bergamot, cinnamon, clove, cypress, eucalyptus, fir, ginger, lemon, lime, lemongrass, peppermint, pine, rosemary, basil and black pepper.  Also try a citrus scent.
34. Stay hydrated. – Drink plenty of water.  Dehydration can reduce blood volume, which leads to feelings of fatigue.  Drinking plenty of water will also increase your need to go to the restroom, a feeling that will also help you stay awake.
35. Clear your stuffy nose. – If allergies have your sinuses blocked, you may be feeling more tired and cranky.  Rinse your nasal passages with saline solution.
36. Change your socks for refreshment. – It’s an odd trick, but it works.  Bring a change of socks to work, and change your socks midway through the day.  You’ll be amazed at how much fresher you’ll feel.  This trick is especially handy on days with lots of walking.
37. Wear brighter colors. – This trick is related to the mood you project to people, and the reciprocating mood they project towards you.  If you wear dark, somber colors, you project a dark, somber attitude, and people will respond to you with a somber attitude.  If you wear bright, happy colors, you’ll get that attitude projected towards you, which will boost your own mood and energy levels.
38. Watch your attitude. – If you let the bad things that happen during your day get you down, you’re bound to start feeling worn out. Watch your attitude and make sure you’re not letting yourself be overly negative.  A generally upbeat and optimistic outlook on life will keep your energy level up.  Yes, the worst thing that can happen might actually happen, but giving it too much worry will only drain you.  Look for the positive in every situation and you won’t be so tired.
39. Examine your emotions. – Stress, depression and other negative emotions can take a heavy toll on your energy levels. Your exhaustion may have a lot to do with how you’re feeling mentally, so take the time to deal with your emotions or get help if you need it.
40. Lose a little weight. – Carrying around extra weight takes a toll on your body and energy, so take off a few pounds gradually.  The things you do to lose weight – exercise, drink water, avoid simple sugars – are actions that also have a positive effect on your energy level.
41. Consider herbal supplements. – Many people swear by herbs that are purported to improve energy levels. If you’re looking for a natural way to stay awake, try supplements of ginseng, bee pollen, gutu kola, maitake and more.
42. Find something to look forward to. – Having something to look forward to is a great motivator.
43. Avoid energy vampires. – Energy vampires always have something to complain about, or a problem that needs to be fixed, and they’ll drain your energy by making you listen to them about their problems or by giving them attention.
44. Have a discussion about or work on something that interests you. – Even if you can only do it for a few minutes here and there, get your mind firing on all cylinders by talking about or doing something you feel passionate about.
45. Start work with a challenging task. – Get your brain in gear by giving it a challenging task first thing. You’ll be more alert and you’ll get the hard stuff out of the way so the rest of your day will be a breeze.
46. Stop slouching. – Slumping down at your desk isn’t doing you any favors in the alertness category. Sitting up at your desk, in an ergonomically friendly way, can make you feel more alert and ready to work.
47. Try something new. – Getting into a rut can make your day seem boring and tedious and drain your energy levels. Change things up, try new things and seek out new experiences to spice up your day a little and keep you alert and awake.
48. Finish an incomplete task. – There’s nothing more draining than the lingering of an incomplete task.  Get things done.  Do you have a task that’s weighing heavily on your mind?  Just do it, and get the monkey off your back.
49. Dress up. – Feeling better about yourself has a magical way of giving you more energy.  Put just a tad more effort into looking your best for work, and you’ll get compliments from coworkers that will make you feel better — and make you a perkier and more energetic.
50. Get enough sleep at night. – This one should be obvious.  The best way to feel energized is to be well rested.  We need 7-8 hours of sleep to be fully rested.  Consistently sleeping less than 6 hours a night builds up a sleep debt that is hard to recover from.

Check out these books for more natural energy boosters:

• 365 Energy Boosters
• The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy
• The Secrets High-Energy People Use to Beat Emotional Fatigue

Photo by: Rama V.

by Barrie Davenport

Have you dreamed of doing something big with your life?  Are you longing to find your passion — something that makes you come alive?  We all want to live a passionate, purposeful life, but most people have no idea how to go about doing that.  How do you know what your passion is or if you’ve chosen the right path?  How do you recreate the life you have now to build the amazing life you want to have?  There are so many considerations, decisions and potential roadblocks.

However, finding and living your life passion is one of the most important endeavors you will ever undertake.  Once you are living your passion, the quality of your life will improve dramatically.  When you are doing something you love — something you feel deeply engaged in — everything feels easier and more joyful.

There is a process to uncovering your passion and living your passion.  It isn’t hard, but it does take commitment, patience, and tenacity.  There are many practical considerations in addition to the research and experimentation required in figuring out exactly what is the best fit for you.

But don’t be disheartened, because it is so worth it.  And once you make the decision to work toward your passion, you’ll find the daily actions you take to get there offer so much satisfaction on their own.  When you know a great outcome is ahead, the work to reach that outcome doesn’t really feel like work.

Let’s look at some of the actions you can take to get the ball rolling.

Preparation

1.  Write a vision.  Write down exactly what you want your life to look like at the end of this process, in every area of your life.  Post the vision where you can see it every day.  You can revise it along the way if you want.

2.  Examine your current life.  You’ve been focused on what you don’t like about your life, but examine your current life to see how much of it matches your vision.  You want to maintain those things and remember that part of your vision is already happening.

3.  Define your values.  Make sure you’re clear on your core values for your life.  Every decision you make about your passion and how you want your life to look should support or reflect those values.   Here’s a list of 400 value words.

4.  What are you tolerating?  What in your current life are you just tolerating?  What drains your energy or constantly bugs you?  Start addressing these things one by one to make room for the new, good stuff coming your way.

5.  Get rid clutter.  Not only physical clutter but the clutter of too many distractions, activities and commitments that suck your time and energy.

6.  Refine your relationships.  Look at all of your close relationships, both personal and professional.  Are there any that drain you, upset you, or cause you problems?  How can you release these people or change your relationship with them to make room for important, new relationships?

7.  Make an appointment.  Set a daily or thrice weekly appointment with yourself to work on your life passion actions.  If you don’t set aside the time for the work, you will never reach your goal.  Make it non-negotiable.

8.  Communicate.  Talk with the people in your life who need to know what you are working toward.  If your passion is threatening to a spouse or loved one, provide assurances that you are planning carefully.  You will need their buy-in and support.

Finances

9.  Save money.  Begin putting money aside in a savings account.  You may need this as you transition toward your new life — for education, to get a business started, or to sustain you financially as you transition.

10.  Decide your income.  Determine your lowest acceptable yearly income.  To do this, you will need to know how you spend your money, where you can cut back, and how long you are willing to live at this income level.

11.  Find other income streams.  Start thinking about ways you can bring in extra cash in a pinch.  Even if you transition from one full-time job to another, it’s always good to have a back-up plan.

Research

12.  Start reading.  Read everything you can about your passion or passions.  Look at how other people have translated that passion into a career.  Make notes about anything that seems interesting or relevant to you.

13.  Refine your search.  As you begin reading and researching, you may find one or more career options that jump out at you.  Deepen your research on those topics to find out exactly what kind of education is needed, who is already successful in this area, what kind of salary you could make, how long it would take to become proficient in this area.

14.  Find a mentor.  Find one or two people who are doing what you want to do and doing it well.  Connect with them.  Send an email to ask for their advice.  Make a list of questions you want to ask.

15.  Refine further.  As you learn some of the specifics of making a profit from your passion, do more research on what needs to be done to take those actions.  This may be an on-going process as you are learning or transitioning.

16.  Take some assessments.  Whether or not you are pursuing self-employment or working in a team environment, it’s useful to take a career personality test, an entrepreneurial aptitude test, and an emotional intelligence test.  These will help you see where you might run into difficulties and what you are most well-suited for.  You can find many of these free online.  Here’s an entrepreneur assessment and an emotional intelligence assessment.

Transition

17.  Take action.  Taking the first real action toward your dream is scary.  It might be signing up for a course, taking out a loan, volunteering, or buying an instrument.  This is the first action that says to you, “I’m committed to changing my life.”  You may not feel 100% sure that your first step is the right step, but you have to take it to find out.  So set a date and take it.

18.  Brainstorm and write.  Think about all of the possible action steps you will need to take to get you from here to there (once you have done your research).  Make one big long list, then go back and prioritize and order the list.  Break down each action step into the smallest possible steps.

19.  Set up a calendar.  Start building your planning calendar by assigning the above action steps to specific days or weeks.  Allow yourself time for setbacks, interruptions, or changes.

20.  Keep communicating.  Remember to keep those close to you involved and in the loop.  You may meet some resistance.  Think ahead about this possibility and how you will handle it.  What is the bottom line for you?  For them?  Keep the lines of communication open.

21.  Decide about your current job.  Be sure to include as part of your action steps how you will move from your current job into your new one.  Will you continue working at your old job as you start your new work?  How and when will you discuss this with your employer?  Be sure to leave on a good note and handle things professionally so you can maintain those ties.

The Process

22.  Stay financially prepared.  Depending on what you are doing, you may not bring in much money at the beginning of a new career.  If you’ve done your planning, you are prepared with savings and/or extra income streams.  Keep an emergency fund available and a list of contacts for extra work if necessary.

23.  Juice up your motivation.  It is natural when you move from something safe and secure to the unknown to feel fear and lose motivation at times.  Stay on top of that by reading motivational books or listening to audiobooks.  Continue to research and read about successful people in your field.

24.  Expect setbacks.  Count on setbacks happening several times during the process of putting your passion to work.  The path isn’t linear.  You will have bumps in the road.  If you accept that from the get-go, it won’t be a surprise when it happens.

25.  Take daily action.  Thinking, planning, fretting, and pontificating only go so far.  Only daily, focused action will move you forward.  If you don’t know what to do, just do something.

26.  Enjoy yourself!  You are working toward something amazing — the life you are creating.  This is your heart’s desire, and although you haven’t reached it yet, every action you take is carrying you closer.  Relish each and every action, because the process can be just as exciting as the end result.

Final Thoughts

Remember, uncovering your passion and making it real in your life is a process.  Continue to take daily action toward your dream, refining and shifting as you learn more about yourself and deal with the natural challenges that are inherent in any life change.  Keep your vision of a passionate life in the forefront of your mind, and before you know it, you will wake up one day and realize your are living your dream.

Your turn…

What life passion do you dream about?  What do you want to spend more time doing with your life?  Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Author Bio:  Barrie Davenport is a life passion coach and founder of BarrieDavenport.com, a site devoted to helping people uncover and live their life passions.  Download her free guide, The Passion Myths: 6 Lies Keeping You from Uncovering Your Life Passion.

Photo by: Elenapaint

“One love, one heart, one destiny.”
-Bob Marley

A silhouette of a human being stands before you.

Perhaps an old friend.  Perhaps a neighbor.  Perhaps a perfect stranger, like me.

Here are 11 things we all need you to keep in mind…

1. You never really know how much the people around you are hurting.  You could be standing next to someone who is completely broken inside and you wouldn’t even know it.  So never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.  And remember that there are two ways to spread light in this world: You can either be a flame of hope, or a mirror that reflects it.  Be one of the two every chance you get.  Read The Four Agreements.
2. The most important trip you will likely take in life is meeting others half way.  You will achieve far more by working with people, rather than against them.  Giving someone else a voice, and showing them that their ideas matter, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the both of you.
3. Relationships don’t create happiness, they reflect it.  Happiness is an inside job.  Relationships are simply the mirrors of your happiness; they reflect it and help you celebrate it.  They are mirrors because they are a perfect reflection of your thoughts and beliefs.  To reflect means to encourage you when you feel weak and challenge you when you feel strong, thereby returning you to your center.  And to celebrate is to share the natural ease and joy of living from your center – of living in the now with clarity.
4. Compassion comes back around.  The son who tends to his chronically ill mother, ignoring his own exhaustion; the neighbor who gives a helping hand, even as his own needs go unanswered; the one who donates a couple dollars to someone in need, even if she has to break her last five dollar bill to do it.  Maybe you don’t hear the names of these unsung heroes in the news, but surely the universe hears their names and treats them accordingly.
5. Timing is everything.  There is a time for silence, a time to let go and allow your friends to launch themselves into their own destiny, and a time to cheer for their victories, or help them pick up the pieces, when it’s all over.  Read The Friendship Factor.
6. Actions are the loudest form of communication.  What you do speaks so loud that others will have a hard time hearing what you say.  So practice what you preach or don’t preach at all – walk the talk.  And remember that there is often a major gap between what someone says and what they do.  Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
7. A healthy relationship keeps the doors and windows open.  Plenty of air is circulating and no one feels trapped.  Relationships thrive in this environment.  Keep your doors and windows open.  If a person is meant to be in your life, all the open doors and windows in the world won’t make them leave.
8. People are more what they keep silent than what they say.  Pay attention to their quiet gestures.  If you cannot understand someone’s silence, you will have a hard time understanding their words.  Read The Definitive Book of Body Language.
9. What others say and do is often based entirely on their own self-reflection.  When you have people speaking to you who are angry and upset, and you nevertheless remain very present and continue to treat them with kindness and respect, you place yourself in a position of great power.  You become a means for the situation to be graciously diffused and healed.  A Zen teacher once said, “When somebody backs themselves into a corner, look the other way until they get themselves out; and then act as though it never happened.”  Allowing people to save face in this way, and not reminding them of what they already know is not their most intelligent behavior, is an act of great kindness.  This is possible when we realize that people behave in such ways because they are in a place of great suffering.  People react to their own thoughts and feelings and their behavior often has nothing directly to do with you.
10. Sincerity is giving without expectation.  Good character and true friendship is all about how a person nurtures another person who is vulnerable and can give nothing in return.  So when you have been through tough times and come out the other side, look around you.  The people still standing beside you are your true friends.
11. Not every relationship is meant to last forever.  Some people aren’t meant to stay in your life.  Some people are just passing through to bring you something – perhaps a lesson you need to learn, or memory that makes you smile years later.  When the time comes, it’s okay to let go and move on with your life.

Photo by: Tommaso Guermandi